Chief Rabbi ( he, רב ראשי ''Rav Rashi'') is a title given in several countries to the recognized religious leader of that country's
Jewish community
Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...
, or to a rabbinic leader appointed by the local secular authorities. Since 1911, through a capitulation by
Ben-Zion Meir Hai Uziel
Ben-Zion Meir Hai Uziel (, born 23 May 1880, died 4 September 1953), sometimes rendered as Ouziel, was the Sephardi chief rabbi of Mandatory Palestine from 1939 to 1948, and of Israel from 1948 until his death in 1953.
Biography
Ben-Zion Meir Ha ...
, Israel has had two chief rabbis, one Ashkenazi and one
Sephardi
Sephardic (or Sephardi) Jews (, ; lad, Djudíos Sefardíes), also ''Sepharadim'' , Modern Hebrew: ''Sfaradim'', Tiberian: Səp̄āraddîm, also , ''Ye'hude Sepharad'', lit. "The Jews of Spain", es, Judíos sefardíes (or ), pt, Judeus sefa ...
.
Cities with large Jewish communities may also have their own chief rabbis; this is especially the case in Israel but has also been past practice in major Jewish centers in Europe prior to
the Holocaust
The Holocaust, also known as the Shoah, was the genocide of European Jews during World War II. Between 1941 and 1945, Nazi Germany and its collaborators systematically murdered some six million Jews across German-occupied Europe; ...
. North American cities rarely have chief rabbis. One exception however is
Montreal
Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-most populous city in Canada and List of towns in Quebec, most populous city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian ...
, with two—one for the Ashkenazi community, the other for the Sephardi.
Jewish law provides no
scriptural
Religious texts, including scripture, are texts which various religions consider to be of central importance to their religious tradition. They differ from literature by being a compilation or discussion of beliefs, mythologies, ritual prac ...
or
Talmud
The Talmud (; he, , Talmūḏ) is the central text of Rabbinic Judaism and the primary source of Jewish religious law (''halakha'') and Jewish theology. Until the advent of modernity, in nearly all Jewish communities, the Talmud was the cente ...
ic support for the post of a "chief rabbi." The office, however, is said by many to find its precedent in the religio-political authority figures of Jewish antiquity (e.g., kings, high priests, patriarches,
exilarch
The exilarch was the leader of the Jewish community in Persian Mesopotamia (modern day Iraq) during the era of the Parthians, Sasanians and Abbasid Caliphate up until the Mongol invasion of Baghdad in 1258, with intermittent gaps due to ongoing ...
s and ''gaonim''). The position arose in Europe in the Middle Ages from governing authorities largely for secular administrative reasons such as collecting taxes and registering vital statistics, and for providing an intermediary between the government and the Jewish community, for example in the establishment of the Crown rabbi in several kingdoms of the
Iberian Peninsula
The Iberian Peninsula (),
**
* Aragonese and Occitan: ''Peninsula Iberica''
**
**
* french: Péninsule Ibérique
* mwl, Península Eibérica
* eu, Iberiar penintsula also known as Iberia, is a peninsula in southwestern Europe, defi ...
, the ''rab de la corte'' in the
Kingdom of Castile
The Kingdom of Castile (; es, Reino de Castilla, la, Regnum Castellae) was a large and powerful state on the Iberian Peninsula during the Middle Ages. Its name comes from the host of castles constructed in the region. It began in the 9th cent ...
or the ''arrabi mor'' in the
Kingdom of Portugal
The Kingdom of Portugal ( la, Regnum Portugalliae, pt, Reino de Portugal) was a monarchy in the western Iberian Peninsula and the predecessor of the modern Portuguese Republic. Existing to various extents between 1139 and 1910, it was also kno ...
, likely influenced by the expectations of their
Catholic
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
,
Eastern Orthodox
Eastern Orthodoxy, also known as Eastern Orthodox Christianity, is one of the three main branches of Chalcedonian Christianity, alongside Catholicism and Protestantism.
Like the Pentarchy of the first millennium, the mainstream (or "canonical") ...
, and
Anglican
Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of th ...
governments and neighbors. Similarly, in the 19th century there was a '' Crown rabbi'' of the
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was an empire and the final period of the Russian monarchy from 1721 to 1917, ruling across large parts of Eurasia. It succeeded the Tsardom of Russia following the Treaty of Nystad, which ended the Great Northern War. ...
.
By country / region
Albania
* Joel Kaplan (2010–present)
Argentina
Sephardi (Syrian)
*
Salomon Benhamu
Salomon may refer to:
People
* Salomon (given name)
* Salomon (surname)
Companies
* Salomon Brothers
Salomon Brothers, Inc., was an American multinational bulge bracket investment bank headquartered in New York. It was one of the five la ...
*
Yosef Chehebar
Yosef (; also transliterated as Yossef, Josef, Yoseph Tiberian Hebrew and Aramaic ''Yôsēp̄'') is a Hebrew male name derived from the Biblical character Joseph. The name can also consist of the Hebrew yadah meaning "praise", "fame" and the word ...
Sephardi
*
Isaac Sacca
Rabbi Isaac Antebi Sacca ( he, יצחק ענתבי סקה (born 1964) is the Sephardi Chief Rabbi of Buenos Aires, as well as the founder and president of Menora, an organization for Jewish youth.
Biography Early life and education
Rabbi Sacca ...
(1997–present)
Ashkenazi
*
Gabriel Davidovich
Gabriel Davidovich is the Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi of Argentina. He is based at the AMIA Jewish center, where he has led the community since 2013. In February 2019, he was violently assaulted in an anti-Semitic attack at his Buenos Aires
Buenos ...
Yom-Tov Lipmann Heller
Rabbi Gershon Shaul Yom-Tov Lipmann ben Nathan ha-Levi Heller (c. 157919 August 1654), was a Bohemian rabbi and Talmudist, best known for writing a commentary on the Mishnah called the ''Tosefet Yom-Tov'' (1614–1617). Heller was one of the major ...
Samson Wertheimer
Samson Wertheimer (17 January 1658 – 6 August 1724) was chief rabbi of Hungary and Moravia, and rabbi of Eisenstadt. He was also an Austrian financier, court Jew and ''Shtadlan'' to Austrian Emperor Leopold I.
Family
Wertheimer was born ...
Isaak Noah Mannheimer
Isaac Noah Mannheimer (October 17, 1793, Copenhagen – March 17, 1865, Vienna) was a Jewish preacher.
Biography
The son of a ''chazzan'', he began the study of the Talmud at an early age, though not to the neglect of secular studies. On completi ...
(1824–1865)
*
Lazar Horowitz
Lazar Horowitz, or Eleazar HaLevi Ish Horowitz, Eleasar ben David Josua Hoeschel Horowitz, aka El'azar Hurwitz (1803/1804, Floß, Upper Palatinate - June 11, 1868, Vöslau) was an Orthodox Rabbi who led the Orthodox Jewish community of Vienna du ...
(1828–1868), chief rabbi of
Vienna
en, Viennese
, iso_code = AT-9
, registration_plate = W
, postal_code_type = Postal code
, postal_code =
, timezone = CET
, utc_offset = +1
, timezone_DST ...
*
Adolf Jellinek
Adolf Jellinek ( he, אהרן ילינק ''Aharon Jelinek''; 26 June 1821 in Drslavice, Moravia – 28 December 1893 in Vienna) was an Austrian rabbi and scholar. After filling clerical posts in Leipzig (1845–1856), he became a preacher at t ...
(1865–1893)
*
Moritz Güdemann
Moritz Güdemann ( he, משה גידמן; 19 February 1835 – 5 August 1918) was an Austrian rabbi and historian. He served as chief rabbi of Vienna.
Biography
Moritz (Moshe) Güdemann attended the Jewish school in Hildesheim, and thereafter we ...
David Feuchtwang David Feuchtwang (27 November 1864 – 6 July 1936) was a Jewish scholar and author, and chief rabbi of Vienna from 1933 until his death in 1936.
David Feuchtwang was born in Nikolsburg, Moravia (now Mikulov, Czech Republic) on 27 November 1864, th ...
(1933–1936)
*
Israel Taglicht Israel Taglicht (March 9, 1862 − December 13, 1943) was the Chief Rabbi of Austria. Life
Taglicht was born on March 9, 1862 in Berezó, Hungary, the son of Josef Taglicht and Nelly Spitzer.
A descendent of the Maharam Schick, Taglicht attende ...
(1936), provisional chief rabbi
* Insp. I. Öhler (1946), preacher at the
Stadttempel
The Stadttempel ( en, City Prayer House), also called the Seitenstettengasse Temple, is the main synagogue of Vienna, Austria. It is located in the Innere Stadt 1st district, at Seitenstettengasse 4.
History
The synagogue was constructed from 182 ...
*
Akiva Eisenberg
Dr. Akiba Eisenberg (20 September 1908 – 8 April 1983) was a former Chief Rabbi of Vienna.
Biography
Eisenberg was born in Vác, near Budapest. During World War II, he survived by hiding with his brother in the outlying area with non-Jewish f ...
(1948–1983)
*
Paul Chaim Eisenberg
Paul may refer to:
*Paul (given name), a given name (includes a list of people with that name)
*Paul (surname), a list of people
People
Christianity
* Paul the Apostle (AD c.5–c.64/65), also known as Saul of Tarsus or Saint Paul, early Chri ...
Eliakim Carmoly
Eliakim Carmoly (5 August 1802 in Soultz-Haut-Rhin, France – 15 February 1875 in Frankfurt) was a French scholar. He was born at Soultz-Haut-Rhin, then in the French department of Haut-Rhin. His real name was ''Goschel David Behr'' (or '' ...
Aristide Astrue
Jean-Bertrand Aristide (born 15 July 1953) is a Haitian former Salesian priest and politician who became Haiti's first democratically elected president. A proponent of liberation theology, Aristide was appointed to a parish in Port-au-Prince in ...
*
Élie-Aristide Astruc
Élie-Aristide Astruc (December 12, 1831 - February 23, 1905) was a French Rabbi, essayist, and the Grand Rabbi of Belgium from 1866 to 1879.
Biography
Élie-Aristide Astruc was born on December 12, 1831, in Bordeaux, France, where the Astruc f ...
(1866–1879)
*
Abraham Dreyfus
Abraham, ; ar, , , name=, group= (originally Abram) is the common Hebrews, Hebrew patriarch of the Abrahamic religions, including Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. In Judaism, he is the founding father of the Covenant (biblical), special ...
*
Armand Bloch
Armand Lucien Bloch (1 July 1866, Montbéliard - 5 March 1932, Paris) was a French sculptor.
Life and work
His father, Maurice Bloch, was a sculptor, who established a metal casting company in 1857. He entered the École des Beaux-Arts in 1884, ...
Bulgaria
* Gabriel Almosnino (1880–1885)
* Presiado Bakish (1885–1889)
*
Shimon Dankowitz Shimon ( he, שמעון) is the original Hebrew pronunciation of the names Simon (given name), Simon and Simeon. Among individuals, Shimon can refer to:
Given names
* Shimon Agranat (1906-1992), Israeli judge and President of the Israeli Supreme Co ...
M. Hezkeya Shabetay Davidov
( ; ; pl. ; ; 1512, from Middle French , literally "my lord") is an honorific title that was used to refer to or address the eldest living brother of the king in the French royal court. It has now become the customary French title of respec ...
(1914–1918)
*
David Pifano
David (; , "beloved one") (traditional spelling), , ''Dāwūd''; grc-koi, Δαυΐδ, Dauíd; la, Davidus, David; gez , ዳዊት, ''Dawit''; xcl, Դաւիթ, ''Dawitʿ''; cu, Давíдъ, ''Davidŭ''; possibly meaning "beloved one". w ...
(1920–1925)
* No Chief Rabbi (1925–1945)
*
Asher Hannanel
Asher ( he, אָשֵׁר ''’Āšēr''), in the Book of Genesis, was the last of the two sons of Jacob and Zilpah (Jacob's eighth son) and the founder of the Israelite Tribe of Asher.
Name
The text of the Torah states that the name of ''Asher' ...
Yoel Yifrach Joel or Yoel is a name meaning "Yahweh Is God" and may refer to:
* Joel (given name), origin of the name including a list of people with the first name.
* Joel (surname), a surname
* Joel (footballer, born 1904), Joel de Oliveira Monteiro, Brazili ...
Chaim Menachem Bentzion Blumenkrantz
The name ''Haim'' can be a first name or surname originating in the Hebrew language, or deriving from the Old German name ''Haimo''.
Hebrew etymology
Chayyim ( he, wikt:חיים#Proper noun, חַיִּים ', Classical Hebrew: , Israeli Hebrew: ...
Miguel Attias
-->
Miguel is a given name and surname, the Portuguese and Spanish form of the Hebrew name Michael. It may refer to:
Places
* Pedro Miguel, a parish in the municipality of Horta and the island of Faial in the Azores Islands
* São Miguel (disa ...
(1948-Early 1950)
*
David Sharbani
David Sharbani ( he, דוד שרבני; born August 16, 1920) was the former Sephardic Chief Rabbi (Gran Rabino) of Colombia. He served as the Sephardic Chief Rabbi of Colombia from the early 1950s to 1978. Following his tenure, Rabbi Sharbani mo ...
(Early 1950s-1978)
*
Yehuda Benhamu
Judah or Yehuda is the name of a biblical patriarch, Judah (son of Jacob). It may also refer to:
Historical ethnic, political and geographic terms
* Tribe of Judah, one of the twelve Tribes of Israel; their allotment corresponds to Judah or Jud ...
(1978-1986)
*
Yehuda Ari Azancot
Judah or Yehuda is the name of a biblical patriarch, Judah (son of Jacob). It may also refer to:
Historical ethnic, political and geographic terms
* Tribe of Judah, one of the twelve Tribes of Israel; their allotment corresponds to Judah or Jud ...
Yehoshua Rosenfeld Yehoshua may refer to:
* Joshua or Jehoshua (Hebrew: ), a figure in the Jewish Torah and the central character in the Book of Joshua
* Book of Joshua (Hebrew: '), a book of the Bible
* Yehoshua (surname), a Hebrew surname
* Yehoshua (given name), ...
Fidel Castro
Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz (; ; 13 August 1926 – 25 November 2016) was a Cuban revolutionary and politician who was the leader of Cuba from 1959 to 2008, serving as the prime minister of Cuba from 1959 to 1976 and president from 1976 to 200 ...
came to power in the
Revolution
In political science, a revolution (Latin: ''revolutio'', "a turn around") is a fundamental and relatively sudden change in political power and political organization which occurs when the population revolts against the government, typically due ...
)
*
Raphael Yair Elnadav
Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino, better known as Raphael (; or ; March 28 or April 6, 1483April 6, 1520), was an Italian painter and architect of the High Renaissance. List of works by Raphael, His work is admired for its clarity of form, ease of ...
(1956–1959)
*
Shmuel Szteinhendler
Shmuel Szteinhendler, a rabbi in Santiago, Chile, is considered the current Chief Rabbi of Cuba and one of the most notable Rabbis in Latin America.
Szteinhendler was born in Argentina and trained as a Conservative Judaism, Conservative rabbi in B ...
current Chief Rabbi of Cuba and regional director for
Masorti Judaism
Conservative Judaism, known as Masorti Judaism outside North America, is a Jewish religious movement which regards the authority of ''halakha'' (Jewish law) and traditions as coming primarily from its people and community through the generat ...
Kotel Da-Don
Kotel Dadon ( he, כותל דדון; born December 12, 1967) is Croatian rabbi of the Bet Israel community in Zagreb. Da-Don, who was born and educated in Israel, settled in Zagreb in 1998. He was the chief rabbi of Croatia from 1998 to 2006.
Ea ...
(1998–2006) from 2006 rabbi of the Bet Israel community
Zagreb
Zagreb ( , , , ) is the capital and largest city of Croatia. It is in the northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the Medvednica mountain. Zagreb stands near the international border between Croatia and Slov ...
Arie Zeev Raskin
Rabbi Arie Zeev Raskin ( he, אריה זאב רסקין; born 1976) is the Chief Rabbi of Cyprus and the first rabbi on the island in many years.
Career
Raskin's brothers are also serving as rabbis in Jewish communities, with Shlomo Raskin in Fra ...
(2005–)
Czech Republic
*
Karol Sidon Karol may refer to:
Places
* Karol, Gujarat, a village on Saurashtra peninsula in Gujarat, west India
* Karol State, a former Rajput petty princely state with seat in the above town
Film/TV
*'' Karol: A Man Who Became Pope'', a 2005 miniseries
*' ...
Denmark
*
Abraham Salomon
Abraham, ; ar, , , name=, group= (originally Abram) is the common Hebrew patriarch of the Abrahamic religions, including Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. In Judaism, he is the founding father of the special relationship between the Jews ...
(1687–1700)
* (1700–1728)
*
Marcus David Marcus, Markus, Márkus or Mărcuș may refer to:
* Marcus (name), a masculine given name
* Marcus (praenomen), a Roman personal name
Places
* Marcus, a Asteroid belt, main belt asteroid, also known as List of minor planets: 369001–370000#088, ( ...
(1729–1739)
*
Hirsch Samuel Levy
Hirsch may refer to:
Places
* Hirsch, Saskatchewan, Canada
* Hirsch Observatory, in Troy, New York, U.S.
People
* Afua Hirsch (born 1981), Norwegian-born British writer, broadcaster, and former barrister
* Alex Hirsch (born 1985), American an ...
(1741–1775)
* (1778–1793)
*
Abraham Gedalia
Abraham Gedalia (1752–1827; he, אברהם גדליה) was the Chief Rabbi of Denmark in the late 18th and early 19th century.
Biography
Gedalia was born in Poland, where his father, was a rabbi. Gedalia followed in his father's footsteps, b ...
(1793–1827)
*
Abraham Wolff
Abraham Alexander Wolff ( he, אברהם אלכסנדר וולף; 29 April 1801 – 3 December 1891) was the chief rabbi of Denmark and translator of the Torah into Danish.
Wolff was born in Darmstadt, Hesse-Darmstadt, to the merchant Alexande ...
(1828–1891)
*
David Simonsen
David Jacob Simonsen ( he, דוד יעקב סימונסן; 17 March 1853 – 15 June 1932) was born in Copenhagen, Denmark. He studied Oriental languages at the University of Copenhagen, and received his rabbinical training at the Jewish Theo ...
(1892–1902, 1919–1920)
*
Tobias Lewenstein
Tobias Tuvia Lewenstein ( he, טוביה לבנשטיין; 1863–1952) was Chief Rabbi of Jewish communities in the Netherlands, Denmark, and Switzerland in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
He was born in Paramaribo, Surinam, to Mozes ...
Marcus Melchior
Marcus Melchior (1897 – 1969) was the rabbi of the main synagogue in Copenhagen, Denmark, at the time of the rescue of the Danish Jews in October 1943, during the Second World War. After escaping with his family and other Danish Jews to Sweden, ...
(1947–1969)
*
Bent Melchior
Bent Melchior (24 June 1929 – 28 July 2021) was a chief rabbi of Denmark.
Life and career
Melchior was born to Danish parents in the German city of Beuthen (now Bytom in Poland), where his father, Marcus Melchior, was rabbi. In 1943, during ...
(1970–1996)
* (1996–2014)
* (2014–)
Ecuador
*Menachem Mendel Fried (2022- )
Egypt
* Refael Aharon Ben Shimon (1891–1921)
* Masoud Haim Ben Shimon (1921–1925)
*
Chaim Nahum
Chaim (Haim) Nahum Effendi ( tr, Haim Nahum Efendi; ; ) (1872–1960) was a Jewish scholar, jurist, and linguist of the early 20th century.
He served as the Grand Rabbi of the Ottoman Empire.Kuneralp, Sinan. "Ottoman Diplomatic and Consular ...
(1925–1960)
*
Haim Moussa Douek
Rabbi Haim Moussa Douek (1905–1974) (Hebrew: חיים דוויך / Arabic:حايم دويك) was the last Chief Rabbi of Egypt.
Early life and early career
Born in Anteb, Turkey, on the border of Syria, he was the eldest child of Rabbi Mous ...
(1960–1972)
Estonia
*
Michael Alony
Michael may refer to:
People
* Michael (given name), a given name
* Michael (surname), including a list of people with the surname Michael
Given name "Michael"
* Michael (archangel), ''first'' of God's archangels in the Jewish, Christian and ...
(1995–1996)
*
Shmuel Kot ''Shmuel'' or Schmuel/ Shmeil is the Hebrew equivalent of the name Samuel. It is popular also in Polish Yiddish versions of the name: Szmul or Szmuel and Szmulik or Szmulek. Shmuel and variations may refer to:
* Samuel (Bible), the Hebrew Bible pro ...
Simon Federbusch Simon Federbusch (February 15, 1892 – August 20, 1969) was a Galician-born Jew who served as rabbi in Poland, Finland, and America. Life
Federbusch was born on February 15, 1892 in Narol, eastern Galicia, Austria-Hungary.
Federbusch was ordai ...
Abraham Vita de Cologna
Abraham (Vita) de Cologna (25 September 1755 – 24 March 1832) was an Italians, Italian-born orator, politician, and religious leader. He is considered to have been one of the first Chief Rabbi#France, Chief Rabbis of France, following Joseph Da ...
(1808–1826)
*
Emmanuel Deutz
Emmanuel Deutz (1763-1842) was a German-born French rabbi.
Biography
Emmanuel Deutz was born in 1763 in Bonn
The federal city of Bonn ( lat, Bonna) is a city on the banks of the Rhine in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia, with a po ...
Salomon Ulmann
Salomon Ulmann (February 25, 1806 at Saverne, Bas-Rhin – May 5, 1865 in Paris), was a French rabbi.
He commenced his rabbinical studies at Strasburg under Moïse Bloch (better known as Rabbi Mosche Utenheim), and was the first pupil enrol ...
(1853–1865)
*
Lazare Isidor
Lazare Isidor (1806–1888) was a French rabbi who served as chief rabbi of the Israelite Central Consistory of France during the latter half of the nineteenth century.
Early career
Isidor served as chief rabbi of Paris from 1847 until 1867.
Duri ...
(1866–1888)
*
Zadoc Kahn
Zadoc Kahn (18 February 1839 in Mommenheim, Alsace – 8 December 1905 in Paris) was an Alsatian-French rabbi and chief rabbi of France.
Life
In 1856 he entered the rabbinical school of Metz, finishing his theological studies at the same ...
Gilles Bernheim
Gilles Uriel Bernheim (; born 30 May 1952) is a French-Israeli rabbi who was formerly the Chief Rabbi of France. Born in Aix-les-Bains, Savoie, in 1952, he was elected by the general assembly of the Central Consistory chief rabbi of France o ...
(2009–2013) (elected 22 June 2008, resigned 11 April 2013)
*
Haim Korsia
The name ''Haim'' can be a first name or surname originating in the Hebrew language, or deriving from the Old German name ''Haimo''.
Hebrew etymology
Chayyim ( he, חַיִּים ', Classical Hebrew: , Israeli Hebrew: ), also transcribed ''Haim ...
(2014–)
Galicia*
*
Aryeh Leib Bernstein Aryeh Leib Bernstein (1708 – October 22, 1788) was the first and only Chief Rabbi of Galicia. Life
Bernstein was born in 1708 in Brody, in the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. His father Issacher Ber was a rabbi who served as rabbi of Kehillat ...
(1778–1786)
*
Edgar Gluck
Edgar Chaim Baruch Gluck (Glück) (born 14 June 1936, Hamburg, Germany) is currently the Chief Rabbi#Galicia, Chief Rabbi of Galicia (Eastern Europe), Galicia. Subsumed into countries now part of Central and Eastern Europe, Galicia (Eastern Europ ...
Galicia in Central/Eastern Europe, as a political entity, ceased to exist in 1921; the title of its Chief Rabbi had already been abolished 1 November 1786 as part of the
Josephinism
Josephinism was the collective domestic policies of Joseph II, Holy Roman Emperor (1765–1790). During the ten years in which Joseph was the sole ruler of the Habsburg monarchy (1780–1790), he attempted to legislate a series of drastic reforms ...
Lemberg
Lviv ( uk, Львів) is the largest city in Western Ukraine, western Ukraine, and the List of cities in Ukraine, seventh-largest in Ukraine, with a population of . It serves as the administrative centre of Lviv Oblast and Lviv Raion, and is o ...
was traditionally seen as the Rabbi of Galicia in the era prior to
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
Aaron Lankry
According to Abrahamic religions, Aaron ''′aharon'', ar, هارون, Hārūn, Greek (Septuagint): Ἀαρών; often called Aaron the priest ()., group="note" ( or ; ''’Ahărōn'') was a prophet, a high priest, and the elder brother of ...
Hong Kong
*
Ephraim Mirvis
Rabbi Sir Ephraim Yitzchak Mirvis (born 7 September 1956) is an Orthodox rabbi who serves as the Chief Rabbi of the United Hebrew Congregations of the Commonwealth. He served as the Chief Rabbi of Ireland between 1985 and 1992.
Early life a ...
*
Mordecai Avston
Mordecai (; also Mordechai; , IPA: ) is one of the main personalities in the Book of Esther in the Hebrew Bible. He is described as being the son of Jair, of the tribe of Benjamin. He was promoted to Vizier after Haman was killed.
Biblical acco ...
*
Netanel Meoded Nethaneel - נתנאל "Gift of/is God", Standard Hebrew Nətanʾel, Tiberian Hebrew Nəṯanʾēl, also Nethanel:
# The son of Zuar, chief of the tribe of Issachar and one of the leaders of the tribes of Israel during the Exodus (Num. 1:8; 2:5, ...
Hungary
:''Note that this list is not in chronological order.''
*
Meir Eisenstadt
Meir ben Izsak Eisenstadt ( he, מאיר איזנשטט, ''also'' Meir Ash, c. 1670 in Poznań – 1744 in Eisenstadt) was the author of responsa and other works of rabbinic literature. An authority on Halakha, he was consulted by rabbis from ...
known as the ''Panim Me'iros'' (1708–), rabbi of Eisenstadt and author of "Panim Me'irot"
* Alexander ben Menahem
* Phinehas Auerbach
* Jacob Eliezer Braunschweig
* Hirsch Semnitz
* Simon Jolles (1717–?)
*
Samson Wertheimer
Samson Wertheimer (17 January 1658 – 6 August 1724) was chief rabbi of Hungary and Moravia, and rabbi of Eisenstadt. He was also an Austrian financier, court Jew and ''Shtadlan'' to Austrian Emperor Leopold I.
Family
Wertheimer was born ...
(1693?–1724) (also
Eisenstadt
Eisenstadt (; hu, Kismarton; hr, Željezni grad; ; sl, Železno, Bavarian language, Austro-Bavarian: ''Eisnstod'') is a city in Austria, the state capital of Burgenland. It had a recorded population on 29 April 2021 of 15,074.
In the Habsburg ...
and
Moravia
Moravia ( , also , ; cs, Morava ; german: link=yes, Mähren ; pl, Morawy ; szl, Morawa; la, Moravia) is a historical region in the east of the Czech Republic and one of three historical Czech lands, with Bohemia and Czech Silesia.
The m ...
)
* Issachar Berush Eskeles (1725–1753)
*
Joseph Hirsch Weiss
Joseph Hirsch Weiss ( hu, Weiss (Weisz) József; 1800, Podola ( sk, Podolie), ''Nyitra vármegye'', Hungary – 1881, Erlau (german: Erlau)) was a Hungarian rabbi.
He was a descendant of a long line of rabbis resident in Moravia in the 17th ...
—grandfather of
Stephen Samuel Wise
Stephen Samuel Wise (March 17, 1874 – April 19, 1949) was an early 20th-century American Reform rabbi and Zionist leader in the Progressive Era. Born in Budapest, he was an infant when his family immigrated to New York. He followed his fath ...
* Samuel Kohn
* Simon Hevesi (father of Ferenc Hevesi)
* Ferenc Hevesi
* Moshe Kunitzer a pioneer of the Haskalah movement in Hungary (1828–1837)
* Koppel Reich
* Chaim Yehuda Deutsch
* József Schweitzer
* Robert (Avrohom Yehudoh) Deutsch
Iran
*
Yedidia Shofet
Yedidia Shofet (also spelled ''Shophet'', and often referred to as Hakham Yedidia; November 14, 1908 – June 24, 2005) was the former Chief Rabbi of Iran and the worldwide spiritual leader of Persian Jewry.
Early life
Yedidia Shofet was bor ...
Yosef Hamadani Cohen
Yusef Hamadani Cohen ( ;1916 – 29 March 2014) was the Chief Rabbi of Iran and spiritual leader for the Jewish community of Iran (Iranian Jews) between January 1994 and 2007.
In August 2000, Chief Rabbi Hamadani Cohen met with Iranian Pres ...
Yitzhak HaLevi Herzog
Yitzhak HaLevi Herzog ( he, יצחק אייזיק הלוי הרצוג; 3 December 1888 – 25 July 1959), also known as Isaac Herzog or Hertzog, was the first Chief Rabbi of Ireland, his term lasted from 1921 to 1936. From 1936 until his deat ...
(1921–1937)
*
Immanuel Jakobovits
Immanuel Jakobovits, Baron Jakobovits (8 February 192131 October 1999) was the Chief Rabbi of the United Hebrew Congregations of the Commonwealth from 1967 to 1991. Prior to this, he had served as Chief Rabbi of Ireland and as rabbi of the Fi ...
(1949–1958)
*
Isaac Cohen
Isaac Cohen (26 July 1914 – 30 November 2007) was a Talmudic scholar and Chief Rabbi of Ireland for 20 years.
Education
Born in Llanelli, Wales to immigrants from Lithuania, he won a scholarship in 1928 to Aria College in Portsmouth, a boardi ...
Ephraim Mirvis
Rabbi Sir Ephraim Yitzchak Mirvis (born 7 September 1956) is an Orthodox rabbi who serves as the Chief Rabbi of the United Hebrew Congregations of the Commonwealth. He served as the Chief Rabbi of Ireland between 1985 and 1992.
Early life a ...
(1985–1992)
*
Shimon Yehudah Harris Shimon ( he, שמעון) is the original Hebrew pronunciation of the names Simon (given name), Simon and Simeon. Among individuals, Shimon can refer to:
Given names
* Shimon Agranat (1906-1992), Israeli judge and President of the Israeli Supreme Co ...
Zalman Lent
Zalman Tech Co. (usually simplified as ZALMAN) is a South Korean company that develops and provides aftermarket desktop computer products with primary focus on cooling enhancement.
Zalman has done considerable product development since its foun ...
(acting Chief Rabbi, 2008–present)
The appointment of a new Chief Rabbi of Ireland has been put on hold since 2008.
Israel
The position of chief rabbi () of the Land of Israel has existed for hundreds of years. During the Mandatory Period, the British recognized the chief rabbis of the Ashkenazi and Sephardi communities, just as they recognized the
Mufti of Jerusalem
The Grand Mufti of Jerusalem is the Sunni Muslim cleric in charge of Jerusalem's Islamic holy places, including the Al-Aqsa Mosque. The position was created by the British military government led by Ronald Storrs in 1918.See Islamic Leadership i ...
. The offices continued after statehood was achieved.
Haredi
Haredi Judaism ( he, ', ; also spelled ''Charedi'' in English; plural ''Haredim'' or ''Charedim'') consists of groups within Orthodox Judaism that are characterized by their strict adherence to ''halakha'' (Jewish law) and traditions, in oppos ...
Jewish groups (such as
Edah HaChareidis
The Charedi Council of Jerusalem ( he, העדה החרדית, ''haEdah haCharedit'', Ashkenazi pronunciation: ''ha-Aideh Charaidis'' or ''ha-Eido ha-Chareidis''; "Congregation of God-Fearers") is a large Haredi Jewish communal organization based i ...
) do not recognize the authority of the Chief Rabbinate. They usually have their own rabbis who do not have any connection to the state rabbinate.
Under current Israeli law, the post of Chief Rabbi exists in only four cities (
Jerusalem
Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...
,
Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv-Yafo ( he, תֵּל־אָבִיב-יָפוֹ, translit=Tēl-ʾĀvīv-Yāfō ; ar, تَلّ أَبِيب – يَافَا, translit=Tall ʾAbīb-Yāfā, links=no), often referred to as just Tel Aviv, is the most populous city in the G ...
,
Haifa
Haifa ( he, חֵיפָה ' ; ar, حَيْفَا ') is the third-largest city in Israel—after Jerusalem and Tel Aviv—with a population of in . The city of Haifa forms part of the Haifa metropolitan area, the third-most populous metropol ...
, and
Beersheba
Beersheba or Beer Sheva, officially Be'er-Sheva ( he, בְּאֵר שֶׁבַע, ''Bəʾēr Ševaʿ'', ; ar, بئر السبع, Biʾr as-Sabʿ, Well of the Oath or Well of the Seven), is the largest city in the Negev desert of southern Israel. ...
). In other cities there may be one main rabbi to whom the other rabbis of that city defer, but that post is not officially the "Chief Rabbi".
Many of Israel's chief rabbis were previously chief rabbis of Israeli cities.
Sephardi
* Moshe Galante (the Younger) (1665–1689)
* Moshe ibn Habib (1689–1696)
* Moshe Hayun
* Abraham ben David Yitzhaki (1715–1722)
* Binyamin Maali
* Elazar ben Yaacob Nahum (1730–1748)
* Nissim Mizrahi (1748–1754)
* Israel Yaacob Algazy (1754–1756)
* Raphael Samuel Meyuchas (1756–1791)
* Haim Raphael Abraham ben Asher (1771–1772)
* Yom Tov Algazy (1772–1802)
* Moshe Yosef Mordechai Meyuchas (1802–1805)
* Yaacob Moshe Ayash al-Maghrebi (1806–1817)
* Jacob Coral (1817–1819)
* Raphael Yosef Hazzan (1819–1822)
* Yom Tov Danon (1822–1824)
* Salomon Moshe Suzin (1824–1836)
* Yonah Moshe Navon (1836–1841)
* Yehudah Raphael Navon (1841–1842)
* Chaim Abraham Gagin (1842–1848)
*
Isaac Kovo Yitzhak Ben-Hezekiah Yosef Kovo (1770–1854) was born in the large History of the Jews of Thessaloniki, Sephardi community of Ottoman Empire, Ottoman Salonica and later settled in Ottoman-era Jerusalem. In 1848 he succeeded Chaim Abraham Gagin as ' ...
Avraham Ashkenazi
Avraham Ashkenazi (1813–1880) was a Sephardi chief rabbi (Rishon LeZion).
Rabbi Ashkenazi was born at Janishar, near Salonica, in 1813.Isidore Singer & Herman Rosenthalpalestine Abraham Ashkenazi ''1901–1906 Jewish Encyclopedia'', Jewish Enc ...
(1869–1880)
*
Raphael Meir Panigel
Raphael Meir ben Yehuda Panigel (1804–1893) was the Sephardi Chief Rabbi of Jerusalem, Ottoman Empire.
Panigel was born in Pazardzhik, Bulgaria, but his family emigrated to the Land of Israel when he was a child. In 1828 and in 1863, he was a ...
Yitzhak Nissim
Yitzhak Nissim ( he, ; 1896 - August 9, 1981) was a Sephardic chief rabbi of Israel. Nissim was born in Baghdad and immigrated to Israel in 1925.
He studied under Rabbi Sadqa Hussein.
In 1955, he became Chief Sephardic Rabbi. As a gesture of g ...
(1955–1973)
*
Ovadia Yosef
Ovadia Yosef ( he, , Ovadya Yosef, ; September 24, 1920 – October 7, 2013) was an Iraqi-born Talmudic scholar, a posek, the Sephardi Chief Rabbi of Israel from 1973 to 1983, and a founder and long-time spiritual leader of Israel's ultra-Orthod ...
(1973–1983)
*
Mordechai Eliyahu
Mordechai Tzemach Eliyahu ( he, מרדכי צמח אליהו, March 3, 1929 – June 7, 2010, on the Hebrew calendar: 21 Adar I, 5689 - 25 Siwan, 5770),
(1983–1993)
*
Eliyahu Bakshi-Doron
Eliyahu Bakshi-Doron ( he, אליהו בקשי דורון; April 5, 1941 – April 12, 2020) was an Israeli rabbi who served as Rishon LeZion ( Chief Rabbi of Israel) from 1993 to 2003. Prior to that he served as Sephardi Chief Rabbi of Bat ...
(1993–2003)
*
Shlomo Amar
Shlomo Moshe Amar ( he, שלמה משה עמאר; ar, سليمان موسى عمار; born April 1, 1948)Gantz, Nesanel. "A Chief Rabbi of the Past and Future". '' Ami'', November 5, 2014, pp. 26-27. is the former Sephardic Chief Rabbi of Isra ...
(2003–2013)
*
Yitzhak Yosef
Yitzhak Yosef ( he, יצחק יוסף, born January 16, 1952) is the Sephardi Chief Rabbi of Israel (known as the Rishon LeZion), the rosh yeshiva of Yeshivat Hazon Ovadia, and the author of a set of books on ''halakha'' (Jewish law) called Yalk ...
(2013–)
Ashkenazi
*
Meir Auerbach Rabbi Meir Auerbach (1815–1878) was president of the Jewish court at Koło, and author of ''Imrei Bina'' (Words of Wisdom). After his immigration to Ottoman Palestine in 1859, he headed the Poland Kollel and became the first Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi ...
—Rabbi of Jerusalem (1860–1871)
* Samuel Salant (1871–1909)
*
Abraham Isaac Kook
Abraham Isaac Kook (; 7 September 1865 – 1 September 1935), known as Rav Kook, and also known by the acronym HaRaAYaH (), was an Orthodox rabbi, and the first Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi of British Mandatory Palestine. He is considered to be one ...
(1921–1935)
*
Yitzhak HaLevi Herzog
Yitzhak HaLevi Herzog ( he, יצחק אייזיק הלוי הרצוג; 3 December 1888 – 25 July 1959), also known as Isaac Herzog or Hertzog, was the first Chief Rabbi of Ireland, his term lasted from 1921 to 1936. From 1936 until his deat ...
(1936–1959)
*
Isser Yehuda Unterman
Isser Yehuda Unterman ( he, איסר יהודה אונטרמן,
19 April 1886 – 26 January 1976) was the Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi of Israel from 1964 until 1972.Shlomo Goren
Shlomo Goren ( he, שלמה גורן; February 3, 1917 – October 29, 1994), was a Polish-born Israeli Orthodox Religious Zionist rabbi and Talmudic scholar who was considered a foremost authority on Jewish law (Halakha). Goren founded and ser ...
(1973–1983)
*
Avraham Shapira
Avraham Shapira ( he, אברהם אלקנה כהנא שפירא; 20 May 1914, Jerusalem – 27 September 2007) was a prominent rabbi in the Religious Zionist world. Shapira had been the head of the Rabbinical court of Jerusalem, and both a ...
(1983–1993)
*
Yisrael Meir Lau
Yisrael Meir Lau ( he, ישראל מאיר לאו; born 1 June 1937) served as the Chief Rabbi of Tel Aviv, Israel, and chairman of Yad Vashem. He previously served as the Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi of Israel from 1993 to 2003.
Biography
Early life ...
(1993–2003)
*
Yona Metzger
Yona Metzger ( he, יונה מצגר; born 1953) is an Israeli Orthodox rabbi and the former Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi of Israel. In 2013, while chief rabbi, a fraud investigation was opened. Metzger later pleaded guilty to a number of corruption c ...
(2003–2013)
*
David Lau
David Baruch Lau ( he, דוד לאו; born 13 January 1966) is the Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi of Israel. He was appointed after achieving a majority of the vote on 24 July 2013. He previously served as the Chief Rabbi of Modi'in-Maccabim-Re'ut, Isra ...
(2013–)
Military Rabbinate
*
Shlomo Goren
Shlomo Goren ( he, שלמה גורן; February 3, 1917 – October 29, 1994), was a Polish-born Israeli Orthodox Religious Zionist rabbi and Talmudic scholar who was considered a foremost authority on Jewish law (Halakha). Goren founded and ser ...
(1948–1968)
*
Mordechai Piron
Mordechai Piron ( he, מרדכי פירון; born Egon Pisk; 28 December 1921 – 28 May 2014) was the second chief military rabbi in the history of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), after his predecessor, Rabbi Shlomo Goren, created the position ...
(1968–1977)
*
Gad Navon
Gad Navon (1922 – 25 June 2006) was the third Chief Military Rabbi of the Israel Defense Forces.
Biography
Mimun Fahima (later Gad Navon) was born in Morocco. He was ordained there as Rabbi after completing the study of the entire Talmud. H ...
(1977–2000)
*
Israel Weiss
Israel Weiss ( he, ישראל וייס, born 1949) was the Chief Military Rabbi of the Israel Defense Forces serving in the position between 2000 and 2006, with a rank of Brigadier General. His predecessor in that position was Rabbi Gad Navon.
B ...
(2000–2006)
*
Avichai Rontzki
Avichai Rontzki ( he, אביחי רונצקי, October 10, 1951 – April 1, 2018) was an Israeli Chief Military Rabbi of the Israel Defense Forces. He served in the position from 2006 to 2010, with a rank of Brigadier General. His predecessor i ...
(2006–2010)
*
Rafi Peretz
Rafael "Rafi" Peretz (; born 7 January 1956) is an Israeli Orthodox rabbi and politician. A former military officer and helicopter pilot who also served as the Chief Military Rabbi of the Israel Defense Forces, he was the leader of the Jewi ...
(2010–2016)
*
Eyal Karim
Eyal Moshe Karim ( he, אייל משה קרים) (born February 8, 1957) is the head of the Military Rabbinate of the Israel Defense Forces.
Early life and career
Karim grew up in Givatayim, Israel, and studied at Yeshivat Bnei Akiva. In Augus ...
(2016–)
Japan
*
Binyamin Edre'i
Benjamin ( he, ''Bīnyāmīn''; "Son of (the) right") blue letter bible: https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/h3225/kjv/wlc/0-1/ H3225 - yāmîn - Strong's Hebrew Lexicon (kjv) was the last of the two sons of Jacob and Rachel (Jacob's thir ...
(2015–present)
Lebanon
*
Moïse Yedid-Levy
Moise is a given name and surname, with differing spellings in its French and Romanian origins, both of which originate from the name Moses: Moïse is the French spelling of Moses, while Moise is the Romanian spelling. As a surname, Moisè and Mo ...
(1799–1829)
*
Ralph Alfandari
Ralph (pronounced ; or ,) is a male given name of English, Scottish and Irish origin, derived from the Old English ''Rædwulf'' and Radulf, cognate with the Old Norse ''Raðulfr'' (''rað'' "counsel" and ''ulfr'' "wolf").
The most common forms ...
*
Youssef Mann
Yusuf ( ar, يوسف ') is a male name of Arabic origin meaning "God increases" (in piety, power and influence).From the Hebrew יהוה להוסיף ''YHWH Lhosif'' meaning "YHWH will increase/add". It is the Arabic equivalent of the Hebrew lang ...
Jacob Bukai
Jacob (; ; ar, يَعْقُوب, Yaʿqūb; gr, Ἰακώβ, Iakṓb), later given the name Israel, is regarded as a patriarch of the Israelites and is an important figure in Abrahamic religions, such as Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Jac ...
Moïse Yedid-Levy
Moise is a given name and surname, with differing spellings in its French and Romanian origins, both of which originate from the name Moses: Moïse is the French spelling of Moses, while Moise is the Romanian spelling. As a surname, Moisè and Mo ...
*
Nassim Afandi Danon Nassim ( ar, نسیم) also transliterated as Nacim, Naseem, Nasseem, Nasim, Nesim or Nessim, is a unisex Arabic name. It is mostly used in Middle Eastern and South Asian cultures and language groups. It may refer to:
Company
*Nasim Sdn Bhd, a m ...
(1908–1909)
*
Jacob Tarrab
Jacob (; ; ar, يَعْقُوب, Yaʿqūb; gr, Ἰακώβ, Iakṓb), later given the name Israel, is regarded as a patriarch of the Israelites and is an important figure in Abrahamic religions, such as Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Jac ...
Benzion Lichtman Ben-Zion, also spelled Ben Zion, and Benzion ( he, בן ציון, "Son of Zion") is a Hebrew given name. It may refer to the following people:
Given name
* Ben Zion Abba Shaul (1924–1998), rosh yeshiva, Porat Yosef Yeshiva
* Ben-Zion Ben-Yehuda, ...
Robert Serebrenik
Robert Serebrenik (March 4, 1902 – February 11, 1965) was an Austrian-born Chief Rabbi of Luxembourg who later became rabbi in America. Life
Serebrenik was born on March 4, 1902, in Vienna, Austria-Hungary, the son of Peisach Serebrenik and The ...
(1929–1941)
Mexico
* Shlomo Tawil (1998–Present)
Macedonia
* Avi Kozma
Morocco
*
Mardo Chee Bengio
The yellow-footed antechinus (''Antechinus flavipes''), also known as the mardo, is a shrew-like marsupial found in Australia. One notable feature of the species is its sexual behavior. The male yellow-footed antechinus engages in such frenzied ...
Chief Rabbi of Tangier.
*
Raphael Ankawa
Raphael Ben Mordechai Ankawa, also spelled Ankavah or Encouau, (1848–1935) was the Chief Rabbi of Morocco and a noted commentator, talmudist, ''posek'', and author.
Biography
Born in Salé, Morocco in 1848, he is known to the Jews of North Afr ...
(1918–1935)
*
Mikail Encaoua
Michael (; he, מִיכָאֵל, lit=Who is like El od, translit=Mīḵāʾēl; el, Μιχαήλ, translit=Mikhaḗl; la, Michahel; ar, ميخائيل ، مِيكَالَ ، ميكائيل, translit=Mīkāʾīl, Mīkāl, Mīkhāʾīl), a ...
*
Chalom Messas
Shalom Messas (Hebrew: שלום משאש) was a Sephardic rabbi and scholar who served as Chief Rabbi of Morocco, and later as Chief Rabbi of Jerusalem.
Biography
Messas was born in Meknes, Morocco in 1909. He was the son of Rabbi Mimoun Mess ...
(1961–1978)
*
Aaron Monsonego
Aaron Monsonego ( he, אהרון מונסונגו; 9 February 1929 – 7 August 2018) was a Moroccan rabbi who was the Chief Rabbi of Morocco.
Biography
Monsonego was born in Fez, Morocco, to rabbi Yedidya Monsonego, the chief rabbi of Fez and ...
Isaak Julius Samuel
Isaac was one of the patriarchs of the Abrahamic faiths.
Isaac may also refer to:
* Isaac (name), including a list of people and fictional characters with the given name or surname of Isaac and its variants
Organizations
* International Societ ...
(1930–1942)
*
Michael Melchior
Michael Melchior ( he, מיכאל מלכיאור; born January 31, 1954) is a Jewish leader, Orthodox rabbi, thinker, and activist. He is a former Minister of Social and Diaspora Affairs, a former Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, and a former ...
Aaron Laine
According to Abrahamic religions, Aaron ''′aharon'', ar, هارون, Hārūn, Ancient Greek, Greek (Septuagint): wikt:Ἀαρών, Ἀαρών; often called Aaron the priest ()., group="note" ( or ; ''’Ahărōn'') was a prophet, a high p ...
(1986–) Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi
*
David Perets
David (; , "beloved one") (traditional spelling), , ''Dāwūd''; grc-koi, Δαυΐδ, Dauíd; la, Davidus, David; gez , ዳዊት, ''Dawit''; xcl, Դաւիթ, ''Dawitʿ''; cu, Давíдъ, ''Davidŭ''; possibly meaning "beloved one". w ...
(2016–) Sephardic Chief Rabbi
Peru
*
Abraham Moshe Brener
Abraham Moshe Brener (Rabino Moises Brener) ( he, אברהם משה ברנר; died January 5, 1968) was the former Chief Rabbi (Gran Rabino) of Lima, Peru. He served as the Chief Rabbi of Lima from the mid 1930s to 1962. Following his tenure, Rab ...
(1930-1967)
*
Baruj Epstein
Baruj ( fa, باروج, also Romanized as Bārūj and Barooj; also known as Bare, Bareh, Bārī, Bary, Bereh, and Pareh) is a village in Zolbin Rural District, Yamchi District, Marand County, East Azerbaijan Province, Iran. At the 2006 census, its ...
(1966-1967)
*
Yaakov Kraus
Jacob (; ; ar, يَعْقُوب, Jacob in Islam, Yaʿqūb; gr, Ἰακώβ, Iakṓb), later given the name Israel (name), Israel, is regarded as a Patriarchs (Bible), patriarch of the Israelites and is an important figure in Abrahamic religi ...
(1987-1998)
*
Efraim Zik
Ephraim (; he, ''ʾEp̄rayīm'', in pausa: ''ʾEp̄rāyīm'') was, according to the Book of Genesis, the second son of Joseph ben Jacob and Asenath. Asenath was an Ancient Egyptian woman whom Pharaoh gave to Joseph as wife, and the daughte ...
Salomon Cohen
Salomon may refer to:
People
* Salomon (given name)
* Salomon (surname)
Companies
* Salomon Brothers, a former investment bank, now a part of Citigroup
* Salomon Group, a company manufacturing sporting equipment (which was a part of Adidas-Salom ...
(2016-2019)
*
Poland
*
Jacob Pollak
Rabbi Jacob Pollak (other common spelling Yaakov Pollack), son of Rabbi Joseph, was the founder of the Polish method of halakhic and Talmudic study known as the Pilpul.
Biography
He was born about 1460 or 1470 in Poland, and died at Lublin in ...
Dow Ber Percowicz
Dow or DOW may refer to:
Business
* Dow Jones Industrial Average, or simply the Dow, a stock market index
* Dow Inc., an American commodity chemical company
** Dow Chemical Company, a subsidiary, an American multinational chemical corporation
* ...
(1945–1956)
*
Zew Wawa Morejno
Zew Wawa Morejno ( he, הרב זאב מורינו, HaRav Zev Moreino; 28 February 1916 – 19 March 2011) was a Polish and American rabbi. He was the last rabbi of the communist People's Republic of Poland, in 1973 emigrating from Poland to the ...
(1956–1957)
*
Dow Ber Percowicz
Dow or DOW may refer to:
Business
* Dow Jones Industrial Average, or simply the Dow, a stock market index
* Dow Inc., an American commodity chemical company
** Dow Chemical Company, a subsidiary, an American multinational chemical corporation
* ...
Zew Wawa Morejno
Zew Wawa Morejno ( he, הרב זאב מורינו, HaRav Zev Moreino; 28 February 1916 – 19 March 2011) was a Polish and American rabbi. He was the last rabbi of the communist People's Republic of Poland, in 1973 emigrating from Poland to the ...
(1966–1973)
*
Pinchas Menachem Joskowicz
According to the Hebrew Bible, Phinehas or Phineas (; , ''Phinees'', ) was a Kohen, priest during the Israelites’ The Exodus, Exodus journey. The grandson of Aaron and son of Eleazar, the High Priests (), he distinguished himself as a youth ...
(1988–1999)
*
Michael Schudrich
Michael Joseph Schudrich (born June 15, 1955) is an American rabbi and the current Chief Rabbi of Poland. He is the oldest of four children of Rabbi David Schudrich and Doris Goldfarb Schudrich.
Biography
Born in New York City, Schudrich lived i ...
(2004–)
Poland: Armed Forces
*
Chaim Elizjer Frankl
The name ''Haim'' can be a first name or surname originating in the Hebrew language, or deriving from the Old German name '' Haimo''.
Hebrew etymology
Chayyim ( he, חַיִּים ', Classical Hebrew: , Israeli Hebrew: ), also transcribed ''Hai ...
(?–1933)
* Major
Baruch Steinberg
Baruch or Boruch Steinberg (17 December 1897–after 9 April 1940) was a Polish rabbi and military officer. He was Chief Rabbi of the Polish Army during German invasion of Poland and Soviet invasion of Poland in 1939 and was murdered by the ...
(1933–circa 12 April 1940) murdered by
NKVD
The People's Commissariat for Internal Affairs (russian: Наро́дный комиссариа́т вну́тренних дел, Naródnyy komissariát vnútrennikh del, ), abbreviated NKVD ( ), was the interior ministry of the Soviet Union.
...
in the
Katyn massacre
The Katyn massacre, "Katyń crime"; russian: link=yes, Катынская резня ''Katynskaya reznya'', "Katyn massacre", or russian: link=no, Катынский расстрел, ''Katynsky rasstrel'', "Katyn execution" was a series of m ...
Romania
*
Yaakov Yitzhak Neimerov
Jacob (; ; ar, يَعْقُوب, Jacob in Islam, Yaʿqūb; gr, Ἰακώβ, Iakṓb), later given the name Israel (name), Israel, is regarded as a Patriarchs (Bible), patriarch of the Israelites and is an important figure in Abrahamic religi ...
(d. 1940)
*
Alexandru Safran
Alexandru is the Romanian language, Romanian form of the name Alexander. Common diminutives are Alecu, Alex (disambiguation), Alex, and Sandu (disambiguation), Sandu.
Origin
Etymology, Etymologically, the name is derived from the Greek language, ...
(1940–1948)
*
Moses Rosen
Moses Rosen (known in Hebrew as David Moshe Rosen, ) (July 23, 1912 – May 6, 1994) was Chief Rabbi (Rav Kolel) of Romanian
Jewry between 1948–1994 and president of the Federation of Jewish Communities of Romania between 1964–1994. He led th ...
(1948–1994)
*
Menachem Hacohen
Menachem Hacohen ( he, מנחם הכהן, born 26 July 1932) is an Israeli rabbi, writer, thinker and former politician. He headed the Religious Worker faction in the Histadrut trade union, was member of the Knesset for the Alignment (political p ...
Adolf Shayevich
Adolf Solomonovich Shayevich (russian: Адольф Соломонович Шаевич; born 28 October 1937)Berel Lazar
Shlomo Dov Pinchas Lazar (born May 19, 1964), better known as Berel Lazar, is an Orthodox, Chabad-Lubavitch Hasidic rabbi. He began his service in Russia in 1990. Known for his friendship with Vladimir Putin, since 2000, he has been a Chief Rabbi ...
(2000–)
Military Rabbinate
*
Aharon Gurevich
Colonel Rabbi Aharon Gurevich is the first Chief Rabbi of the Russian Army since the 1917 Bolshevik Revolution. Rabbi Gurevich was appointed by Russian Chief Rabbi Berel Lazar
Shlomo Dov Pinchas Lazar (born May 19, 1964), better known as Berel ...
(2007–)
Serbia
*
Isaac Alcalay Isaac Abraham Alcalay (November 11, 1881 – December 29, 1978) was a Bulgarian-born Jew who served as Chief Rabbi of Serbia and Yugoslavia as well as a leading of American Sephardic Jews. Life
Alcalay was born on November 11, 1881 in Sofia, Bulga ...
Isak Asiel Isak may refer to:
* Isak (given name)
* Isak (surname)
See also
*Izak (disambiguation) Izak is a given name.
Izak may also refer to:
* Izak catshark, a type of cat shark
* Izak, a character in Suikoden IV
* Piotr "Izak" Skowyrski, Polish espor ...
Singapore
* Mordechai Abergel
Slovakia
*
Moses Sofer
Moses Schreiber (1762–1839), known to his own community and Jewish posterity in the Hebrew translation as Moshe Sofer, also known by his main work ''Chatam Sofer'', ''Chasam Sofer'', or ''Hatam Sofer'' ( trans. ''Seal of the Scribe'', and acron ...
(1806–1839)
*
Samuel Benjamin Sofer
Avraham Shmuel Binyamin Sofer (german: link=no, Abraham Samuel Benjamin Schreiber), also known by his main work Ksav Sofer or Ketav Sofer ( trans. ''Writ of the Scribe''), (1815–1871), was one of the leading rabbis of Hungarian Jewry in the se ...
Baruch Myers
Rabbi Baruch Myers (born May 2, 1964 in Orange, New Jersey) is a Chabad-Lubavitch Hasidic rabbi. He began his service in Bratislava in 1993. He serves as the Chief Rabbi and head Shliach of Slovakia.
Biography
Baruch Myers was born in Or ...
(1993–present)
South Africa
*
Judah Leo Landau
Judah Leo Landau (23 April 1866 – 26 August 1942) was a Galician-born South African rabbi and writer. A noted scholar, poet, and playwright, he served as the inaugural Chief Rabbi#South Africa, Chief Rabbi of South Africa from 1915 until his dea ...
Bernard M. Casper
Bernard Moses Casper (1916–1988) was a British people, British-Demographics of South Africa, South African rabbi. He was born and raised in London; educated in London and Cambridge; and served as both a Rabbi and educator in Manchester and Lon ...
(1963–1987)
*
Cyril Harris
Cyril Kitchener Harris (19 September 1936 – 13 September 2005) was Chief Rabbi of The Union of Orthodox Synagogues of South Africa from 1987 to 2004.
Harris was born in Glasgow, Scotland. During his tenure as Chief Rabbi, he was noted for ...
(1988–2004)
*
Warren Goldstein
Chief Rabbi Dr. Warren Goldstein (born 1971) is the Chief Rabbi of The Union of Orthodox Synagogues of South Africa since 2005. Born in Pretoria, he currently lives in Johannesburg. He is the first Chief Rabbi of South Africa who was born in ...
(2005–)
Spain
* Baruj Garzon (1968–1978), the first Chief Rabbi in Spain since the expulsion in 1492
* Yehuda Benasuli (1978–1997)
* Moshe Bendahan (1997–)
Sudan
* Solomon Malka (1906–1949)
* Haim Simoni (1950–1952)
* Massoud El-Baz (1956-1965 by which time the Jewish community in Sudan had declined so dramatically that they could not afford to pay a Rabbi)
Syria
*
Yom Tov Yedid
Yom ( he, יום) is a Biblical Hebrew word which occurs in the Hebrew Bible. The word means day in both Modern and Biblical Hebrew.
Overview
Although ''yom'' is commonly rendered as day in English translations, the word yom can be used in differ ...
(1960–1982), moved to the United States in 1982 and died 27 July 2016 in the United States
Thailand
*
Yosef Kantor
Yosef (; also transliterated as Yossef, Josef, Yoseph Tiberian Hebrew and Aramaic ''Yôsēp̄'') is a Hebrew male name derived from the Biblical character Joseph. The name can also consist of the Hebrew yadah meaning "praise", "fame" and the word ...
(1992–present)
Transylvania (before 1918)
Note: The chief rabbi of
Transylvania
Transylvania ( ro, Ardeal or ; hu, Erdély; german: Siebenbürgen) is a historical and cultural region in Central Europe, encompassing central Romania. To the east and south its natural border is the Carpathian Mountains, and to the west the Ap ...
was generally the rabbi of the city of
Alba Iulia
Alba Iulia (; german: Karlsburg or ''Carlsburg'', formerly ''Weißenburg''; hu, Gyulafehérvár; la, Apulum) is a city that serves as the seat of Alba County in the west-central part of Romania. Located on the Mureș River in the historica ...
.
* Joseph Reis Auerbach (d. 1750)
* Shalom Selig ben Saul Cohen (1754–1757)
* Johanan ben Isaac (1758–1760)
* Benjamin Ze'eb Wolf of Cracow (1764–1777)
* Moses ben Samuel Levi Margaliot (1778–1817)
* Menahem ben Joshua Mendel (1818–23)
* Ezekiel Paneth (1823–1843)
* Abraham Friedmann (d. 1879), last chief rabbi of Transylvania
Tunisia
*
Chaim Madar
Chief Rabbi Chaim Madar () was the chief rabbi of Tunisia's Jewish community, a community dating back to 586 BCE. He was the spiritual leader of this community until his death in Jerusalem on December 3, 2004. His funeral services were held at t ...
Moses Capsali Moses ben Elijah Capsali (Hebrew: משה בן אליהו קפשאלי; –1420-1495) was ''Hakham Bashi'' (Chief Rabbi) of the Ottoman Empire.
Biography
Moses ben Elijah Capsali was born in Venetian-held Crete in 1420. When he was a young man, Ca ...
(1454–1497)
*
Elijah Mizrachi
Elijah Mizrachi ( he, אליהו מזרחי) (c. 1455 – 1525 or 1526) was a Talmudist and posek, an authority on Halakha, and a mathematician. He is best known for his ''Sefer ha-Mizrachi'', a supercommentary on Rashi's commentary on the To ...
(1497–1526)
*
Mordechai Komitano
Mordecai (; also Mordechai; , IPA: ) is one of the main personalities in the Book of Esther in the Hebrew Bible. He is described as being the son of Jair, of the tribe of Benjamin. He was promoted to Vizier after Haman was killed.
Biblical acco ...
(1526–1542)
*
Tam ben Yahya
TAM may refer to:
Biology
* Thioacetamide, an organosulfur compound
* Tumor-associated macrophage, a class of immune cells
* Transparent Anatomical Manikin, an educational model
Technology
* Tanque Argentino Mediano, the main battle tank of Arge ...
(1542–1543)
*
Eli Rozanes ha-Levi
Eli most commonly refers to:
* Eli (name), a given name, nickname and surname
* Eli (biblical figure)
Eli or ELI may also refer to:
Film
* ''Eli'' (2015 film), a Tamil film
* ''Eli'' (2019 film), an American horror film
Music
* ''Eli'' (Jan ...
(1543)
*
Eli ben Hayim
Eli most commonly refers to:
* Eli (name), a given name, nickname and surname
* Eli (biblical figure)
Eli or ELI may also refer to:
Film
* ''Eli'' (2015 film), a Tamil film
* ''Eli'' (2019 film), an American horror film
Music
* ''Eli'' (Jan ...
Joseph Mitrani
Joseph is a common male given name, derived from the Hebrew Yosef (יוֹסֵף). "Joseph" is used, along with "Josef", mostly in English, French and partially German languages. This spelling is also found as a variant in the languages of the mo ...
(1625–1639)
* Yomtov Benyaes (1639–1642)
* Yomtov Hananiah Benyakar (1642–1677)
* Chaim Kamhi (1677–1715)
* Judah Benrey (1715–1717)
* Samuel Levi (1717–1720)
* Abraham Rozanes (1720–1745)
* Solomon Hayim Alfandari (1745–1762)
* Meir Ishaki (1762–1780)
* Eli Palombo (1780–1800)
* Chaim Jacob Benyakar (1800–1835)
* Abraham Levi Pasha (1835–1839)
* Samuel Hayim (1839–1841)
* Moiz Fresko (1841–1854)
* Yacob Avigdor (1854–1870)
* Yakir Gueron, Yakir Geron (1870–1872)
* Moses Levi (1872–1909)
*
Chaim Nahum
Chaim (Haim) Nahum Effendi ( tr, Haim Nahum Efendi; ; ) (1872–1960) was a Jewish scholar, jurist, and linguist of the early 20th century.
He served as the Grand Rabbi of the Ottoman Empire.Kuneralp, Sinan. "Ottoman Diplomatic and Consular ...
Effendi (1909–1920)
* Shabbetai Levi (1920–1922)
* Isaac Ariel (1922–1926)
* Haim Bejerano (1926–1931)
* Haim Isaac Saki (1931–1940)
* Rafael David Saban (1940–1960)
* David Asseo (1961–2002)
* Ishak Haleva (2003–)
Uganda
* Gershom Sizomu () (see: Abayudaya)
Ukraine
* Moshe Reuven Azman (2005–present)
United Arab Emirates
* Levi Duchman (2015-) first resident rabbi to the UAE, appointed Chabad Shaliach to the UAE in 2020, making him the first Chabad Shaliach in a Gulf country. Directs the Jewish Community Center of the UAE. Yehuda Sarna, Rabbi Yehuda Sarna is the current Chief Rabbi of the Jewish Council of the Emirates.
United Kingdom and Commonwealth
Ashkenazi chief rabbis
* Judah Loeb ben Abraham Ephraim Asher Anshel (1696–1700)
* Aaron the Scribe of Dublin (1700–1704)
* Aaron Hart (rabbi), Aaron Hart (1704–1756)
* Hart Lyon (1758–1764)
* Tevele Schiff, David Tevele Schiff (1765–1791)
* Solomon Hirschell (1802–1842)
* Nathan Marcus Adler (1845–1891)
* Hermann Adler (1891–1911)
* Joseph H. Hertz, Joseph Herman Hertz (1913–1946)
* Israel Brodie (1948–1965)
*
Immanuel Jakobovits
Immanuel Jakobovits, Baron Jakobovits (8 February 192131 October 1999) was the Chief Rabbi of the United Hebrew Congregations of the Commonwealth from 1967 to 1991. Prior to this, he had served as Chief Rabbi of Ireland and as rabbi of the Fi ...
(1966–1991; knighted 1981, life peer 1988)
* Jonathan Sacks (1991–2013; knighted 2005, life peer 2009)
*
Ephraim Mirvis
Rabbi Sir Ephraim Yitzchak Mirvis (born 7 September 1956) is an Orthodox rabbi who serves as the Chief Rabbi of the United Hebrew Congregations of the Commonwealth. He served as the Chief Rabbi of Ireland between 1985 and 1992.
Early life a ...
(2013–present)
Spanish and Portuguese community Hahamim/senior rabbis
The Sephardi Jews in the United Kingdom are mainly members of independent synagogues. There is no single rabbi recognised by them as a chief rabbi. The Spanish and Portuguese community, however, consists of several synagogues, charities, a beth din and a kashruth authority. These are under the leadership of an ecclesiastical head. Historically, the individual who fills this role is recognised as a senior rabbi of Anglo Jewry, being the leader of the oldest Jewish community in the country. The Senior Rabbi was traditionally given the title, ''Haham,'' meaning "wise one". Since 1918, however, only Solomon Gaon was given this title. The official title of the holder of this office is now The Senior Rabbi of the S&P Sephardi Community of the United Kingdom.
* Jacob ben Aaron Sasportas (1664–1665)
* Yehoshua Da Silva (1670–1679)
* Jacob Abendana (1681–1684)
* Solomon Ayllon (1689–1700)
* David Nieto (1701–1728)
* Isaac Nieto (1732–1740)
* Moses Gomez de Mesquita, Moshe Gomes de Mesquita (1744–1751)
* Moshe Cohen d'Azevedo (1761–1784)
* Raphael Meldola (Sephardic Rabbi), Raphael Meldola (1806–1828)
* Benjamin Artom (1866–1879)
* Moses Gaster (1887–1918)
* Shem Tob Gaguine (1920–1953) (officially the "Ecclesiastical Chief of the Spanish & Portuguese Jews' Congregation," not the Haham)
* Solomon Gaon (1949–1995)
* Abraham Levy (1995–2012) (officially the Communal Rabbi and Spiritual Head of the Spanish & Portuguese Jews' Congregation, not the ''haham'')
* Joseph Dweck (2013–) (elected Senior Rabbi of The S&P Sephardi Community, not the ''haham'')
United States
A chief rabbinate never truly developed within the United States for a number of different reasons. While Jews first settled in the United States in 1654 in New York City, rabbis did not appear in the United States until the mid-nineteenth century. This lack of rabbis, coupled with the lack of official colonial or state recognition of a particular sect of Judaism as official effectively led to a form of Congregationalist polity, congregationalism amongst American Jews. This did not stop others from trying to create a unified American Judaism, and in fact, some chief rabbis developed in some American cities despite lacking universal recognition amongst the Jewish communities within the cities (for examples see below). However, Jonathan Sarna argues that those two precedents, as well as the desire of many Jewish immigrants to the US to break from an Orthodox Judaism, Orthodox past, effectively prevented any effective Chief Rabbi in America.
* Aryeh Leib ben Saul 1740–1755
* Saul Lowenstam
* B.S. Berenstein
* Dr Joseph Hirsch Dünner
* Abraham S. Onderwijzer
* L.H. Sarlouis
* Justus Tal
* Aron Schuster
* Meir Just 1970–1978
* Aryeh Ralbag (2008–2016)
* Pinchas Toledano (2016–current)
Sephardi
* Menasseh Ben Israel
* Pinchas Toledano (2012–)
Antwerp, Belgium
* Chaim Kreiswirth (1953–2001)
Baltimore, Maryland – United States
* Abraham N. Schwartz (d. 1937)
* Joseph H. Feldman (retired 1972, d. 1992)
Birobidzhan, Russia
* Mordechai Scheiner (2002–present)
Budapest, Hungary
* Yonasan Steif (pre-World War II)
Caracas, Venezuela
Ashkenazi
* Pynchas Brener (1967–present)
Sephardi
* Isaac Cohén (–)
Chicago, Illinois – United States
* Yaakov Dovid Wilovsky known as the ''Ridbaz'', served as chief rabbi of the Russian-American congregations in the city 1903–1905.
Copenhagen, Denmark
*
David Simonsen
David Jacob Simonsen ( he, דוד יעקב סימונסן; 17 March 1853 – 15 June 1932) was born in Copenhagen, Denmark. He studied Oriental languages at the University of Copenhagen, and received his rabbinical training at the Jewish Theo ...
(1879–1891)
* Elias Kalischer
* Hirsch Goitein (–1903)
* Max Schornstein (1906–1910)
*
Bent Melchior
Bent Melchior (24 June 1929 – 28 July 2021) was a chief rabbi of Denmark.
Life and career
Melchior was born to Danish parents in the German city of Beuthen (now Bytom in Poland), where his father, Marcus Melchior, was rabbi. In 1943, during ...
(1963–1970)
* Jacob Garfinkel (1971–1973)
Frankfurt, Germany
* Menachem Halevi Klein, Menachem Klein
* Nathan HaKohen Adler
Gateshead, United Kingdom
* Shraga Feivel Zimmerman
The Hague, Netherlands
* Saul Isaac Halevi (1748–1785)
* Tobias Tal (1895–1898)
* Dov Yehuda Schochet (1946–1952)
Haifa, Israel
Ashkenazi
* She'ar Yashuv Cohen (1927–2016)
Sephardi
*
Eliyahu Bakshi-Doron
Eliyahu Bakshi-Doron ( he, אליהו בקשי דורון; April 5, 1941 – April 12, 2020) was an Israeli rabbi who served as Rishon LeZion ( Chief Rabbi of Israel) from 1993 to 2003. Prior to that he served as Sephardi Chief Rabbi of Bat ...
* Chaim Hirschensohn (1904–1935). His post included Hoboken, New Jersey, Hoboken, Jersey City, Union Hill, Hudson County, New Jersey, Union Hill and the Environs.
Jerusalem
Sephardi
* Levi Ibn Habib
* David Ibn Abi Zimra
* Moses Galante (the Elder), Moshe Galante I
* Haim Vital
* Betzalel Ashkenasi
* Gedalia Cordovero
* Isaac Gaon
* Israel Benjamin
* Yaacov Tzemah
* Shemuel Garmison
* Moshe Galante II (1665–1689)
* Moshe Ibn Habib (1689–1696)
* Moshe Hayun
* Abraham ben David Yitzchaki (1715–1722)
* Binyamin Maali
* Elazar ben Yaacob Nahum (1730–1748)
* Nissim Mizrahi (1748–1754)
* Israel Yaacob Algazy (1754–1756)
* Raphael Samuel Meyuchas (1756–1791)
* Haim Raphael Abraham ben Asher (1771–1772)
* Yom Tov Algazy (1772–1802)
* Moshe Yosef Mordechai Meyuchas (1802–1805)
* Yaacob Moshe Ayash al-Maghrebi (1806–1817)
* Jacob Coral (1817–1819)
* Raphael Yosef Hazzan (1819–1822)
* Yom Tov Danon (1822–1824)
* Salomon Moshe Suzin (1824–1836)
* Yonah Moshe Navon (1836–1841)
* Yehudah Raphael Navon (1841–1842)
* Haim Abraham Gagin (1842–1848)
*
Isaac Kovo Yitzhak Ben-Hezekiah Yosef Kovo (1770–1854) was born in the large History of the Jews of Thessaloniki, Sephardi community of Ottoman Empire, Ottoman Salonica and later settled in Ottoman-era Jerusalem. In 1848 he succeeded Chaim Abraham Gagin as ' ...
(1848–1854)
* Haim Nissim Abulafia (1854–1861)
* Haim David Hazan (1861–1869)
* Abraham Ashkenasi (1869–1880)
*
Raphael Meir Panigel
Raphael Meir ben Yehuda Panigel (1804–1893) was the Sephardi Chief Rabbi of Jerusalem, Ottoman Empire.
Panigel was born in Pazardzhik, Bulgaria, but his family emigrated to the Land of Israel when he was a child. In 1828 and in 1863, he was a ...
Chalom Messas
Shalom Messas (Hebrew: שלום משאש) was a Sephardic rabbi and scholar who served as Chief Rabbi of Morocco, and later as Chief Rabbi of Jerusalem.
Biography
Messas was born in Meknes, Morocco in 1909. He was the son of Rabbi Mimoun Mess ...
(1978–2003)
*
Shlomo Amar
Shlomo Moshe Amar ( he, שלמה משה עמאר; ar, سليمان موسى عمار; born April 1, 1948)Gantz, Nesanel. "A Chief Rabbi of the Past and Future". '' Ami'', November 5, 2014, pp. 26-27. is the former Sephardic Chief Rabbi of Isra ...
(2014–)
Ashkenazi
*
Meir Auerbach Rabbi Meir Auerbach (1815–1878) was president of the Jewish court at Koło, and author of ''Imrei Bina'' (Words of Wisdom). After his immigration to Ottoman Palestine in 1859, he headed the Poland Kollel and became the first Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi ...
(?–1878)
* Shmuel Salant (1878–1909)
* Chaim Berlin (1909–1912?)
*
Abraham Isaac Kook
Abraham Isaac Kook (; 7 September 1865 – 1 September 1935), known as Rav Kook, and also known by the acronym HaRaAYaH (), was an Orthodox rabbi, and the first Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi of British Mandatory Palestine. He is considered to be one ...
Edah HaChareidis
The Charedi Council of Jerusalem ( he, העדה החרדית, ''haEdah haCharedit'', Ashkenazi pronunciation: ''ha-Aideh Charaidis'' or ''ha-Eido ha-Chareidis''; "Congregation of God-Fearers") is a large Haredi Jewish communal organization based i ...
is unaffiliated with the State of Israel. It is a separate, independent religious community with its own Chief Rabbis, who are viewed, in the
Haredi
Haredi Judaism ( he, ', ; also spelled ''Charedi'' in English; plural ''Haredim'' or ''Charedim'') consists of groups within Orthodox Judaism that are characterized by their strict adherence to ''halakha'' (Jewish law) and traditions, in oppos ...
world, as being the Chief Rabbis of Jerusalem.''
* Yosef Chaim Sonnenfeld (1919–1932)
* Yosef Tzvi Dushinsky (first Dushinsky rebbe), Yosef Tzvi Dushinsky (1932–1948)
* Zelig Reuven Bengis (1948–1953)
* Joel Teitelbaum of Satmar (1953–1979)
* Yitzchok Yaakov Weiss (1979–1989)
* Moshe Aryeh Freund (1989–1996)
* Yisrael Moshe Dushinsky (1996–2002)
* Yitzchok Tuvia Weiss (2002–)
Tobias Lewenstein
Tobias Tuvia Lewenstein ( he, טוביה לבנשטיין; 1863–1952) was Chief Rabbi of Jewish communities in the Netherlands, Denmark, and Switzerland in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
He was born in Paramaribo, Surinam, to Mozes ...
Adolf Shayevich
Adolf Solomonovich Shayevich (russian: Адольф Соломонович Шаевич; born 28 October 1937)
* Pinchas Biberfeld, Pinchos Biberfeld, moved back to Germany from where he had emigrated to Israel over 50 years earlier. (1980–1999)
* Steven Langnas, first German (descendance) Chief Rabbi and Av Beth Din of Munich (1999–2011)
Netherlands – Inter-Provincial Chief rabbinate
* Dov Yehuda Schochet (1946–1952) [Chief Rabbi of The Hague]
* Elieser Berlinger (1960–1985)
* Binyomin Jacobs (2008–recent)
New York, New York – United States
* Jacob Joseph (1840–1902) was the only true Ashkenazi chief rabbi of New York City; there was never a Sephardi chief rabbi, although Dr. David DeSola Pool acted as a leader among the Sepharadim and was also respected as such. Others it has been said claimed the title of Chief Rabbi; eventually, the title became worthless through dilution.
* Chaim Jacob Wiedrewitz was the Chassidic chief rabbi of New York and Pennsylvania; he was previously the Chassidic Rav of Moscow and was officially called as "The Moskover Rav", immigrated in 1893 and died in 1911, he's buried in the Chabad society of the Bayside Cemetery in Ozone Park NY.
* Jacob S. Kassin was the Chief Rabbi of the Syrian Jewish community of New York 1930–1995.
* Leibish Wolowsky was the chief rabbi of the Galician community of NYC 1888–1913, he was previously the rabbi of Sambor, Austria and immigrated to the US in 1888. He died in 1913 and is buried in the Achum Ahuvim of Reizow at the Mount Zion Cemetery in Maspeth NY.
* Avrohom Aharon Yudelevitz who was previously the rav of Manchester, England was accepted in 1919 as the chief rabbi of the Jewish Arbitration Court of NYC, he authored many books on Jewish law and Responsa. He died in 1930 and is buried in family plot at the Bayside cemetery in Ozone Park NY.
Zadoc Kahn
Zadoc Kahn (18 February 1839 in Mommenheim, Alsace – 8 December 1905 in Paris) was an Alsatian-French rabbi and chief rabbi of France.
Life
In 1856 he entered the rabbinical school of Metz, finishing his theological studies at the same ...
* Israel Zolli (1940–1945)
* Elio Toaff (1951–2002)
* Riccardo Di Segni (2002–)
Rotterdam, Netherlands
* Josiah Pardo (1648–1669)http://www.archieven.nl/pls/m/zk2.inv?p_q=64729996 See his Haskama – Approbation to Sefer Nachalat Shiva, edition Amsterdam 1667, where he is mentioned as Chief Rabbi of both the Sephardi and Ashkenazi congregations in Rotterdam
* Yosia Pardo (1648–1669). Left in 1669 to Amsterdam.
* Yuda Loeb ben Rabbi Shlomo (1674-abt. 1700). Born in Wilna.
* Judah Salomon (1682)
* Judah Loeb ben Abraham Ephraim Asher Anshel (1700–1708) Born in Hamburg, left for Amsterdam.
* Solomon Ezekiel (1725–1735)
* Judah Ezekiel (1738–1755)
* Abraham Ezekiel (1755–79)
* Aryeh Leib Breslau (1741–1809)
* Judah Akiba Eger son of Akiba Eger I (invited but refused position)
* Elijah Casriel (1815–1833)
* E.J. Löwenstamm (1834–1845)
* Joseph Isaacsohn (1850–1871; one of three sons-in-law of Jacob Ettlinger who were Chief Rabbis in the Netherlands)
* Bernhard Löbel Ritter (1885–1928)
* Simon Hirsch (1928–1930)
* Aaron Davids (1930–1944)
* Justus Tal (1945–1954)
* Salomon Rodrigues Pereira (1954–1959)
* Levie Vorst (1959–1971)
* Daniel Kahn (rabbi), Daniel Kahn (1972–1975)
* Albert Hutterer (1975–1977)
* Dov Salzmann (1986–1988)
* Lody van de Kamp
* Raphael Evers
Shanghai, China
* Meir Ashkenazi (rabbi), Meir Ashkenazi (1926–1949)
Sofia, Bulgaria
* Daniel Zion (in World War II)
*
Asher Hannanel
Asher ( he, אָשֵׁר ''’Āšēr''), in the Book of Genesis, was the last of the two sons of Jacob and Zilpah (Jacob's eighth son) and the founder of the Israelite Tribe of Asher.
Name
The text of the Torah states that the name of ''Asher' ...
Ben-Zion Meir Hai Uziel
Ben-Zion Meir Hai Uziel (, born 23 May 1880, died 4 September 1953), sometimes rendered as Ouziel, was the Sephardi chief rabbi of Mandatory Palestine from 1939 to 1948, and of Israel from 1948 until his death in 1953.
Biography
Ben-Zion Meir Ha ...
Ovadia Yosef
Ovadia Yosef ( he, , Ovadya Yosef, ; September 24, 1920 – October 7, 2013) was an Iraqi-born Talmudic scholar, a posek, the Sephardi Chief Rabbi of Israel from 1973 to 1983, and a founder and long-time spiritual leader of Israel's ultra-Orthod ...
Akiva Eisenberg
Dr. Akiba Eisenberg (20 September 1908 – 8 April 1983) was a former Chief Rabbi of Vienna.
Biography
Eisenberg was born in Vác, near Budapest. During World War II, he survived by hiding with his brother in the outlying area with non-Jewish f ...
*
Paul Chaim Eisenberg
Paul may refer to:
*Paul (given name), a given name (includes a list of people with that name)
*Paul (surname), a list of people
People
Christianity
* Paul the Apostle (AD c.5–c.64/65), also known as Saul of Tarsus or Saint Paul, early Chri ...
Pinchas Menachem Joskowicz
According to the Hebrew Bible, Phinehas or Phineas (; , ''Phinees'', ) was a Kohen, priest during the Israelites’ The Exodus, Exodus journey. The grandson of Aaron and son of Eleazar, the High Priests (), he distinguished himself as a youth ...
(1988–1999)
* Baruch Rabinowitz (1999–2000)
*
Michael Schudrich
Michael Joseph Schudrich (born June 15, 1955) is an American rabbi and the current Chief Rabbi of Poland. He is the oldest of four children of Rabbi David Schudrich and Doris Goldfarb Schudrich.
Biography
Born in New York City, Schudrich lived i ...
Chief Rabbinate of Israel {{Webarchive, url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171008161535/http://rabanut.gov.il/ , date=8 October 2017
Orthodox rabbinic roles and titles
Chief rabbis,